Forever with You - Signed Paperback

Chapter One: Sara

“I can’t believe this day is finally here,” my mom said from behind me, fastening the delicate clasp of my grandmother’s pearl necklace at the back of my neck. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I felt a lump in my throat as I stared at my reflection in the floor-length mirror, and I silently willed my eyes not to fill with tears. It had taken the makeup artist a solid hour to do the airbrushed makeup on my face. I looked absolutely flawless. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin it with tear streaks.

My best friend, Angie, appeared at my side. “Here, you look like you could use this,” she said, handing me a glass of Champagne. 

I took the glass and clinked it to Angie’s with a smile. “Cheers. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Of course I’m here.” Angie rolled her pretty brown eyes in mock annoyance. “I wouldn’t miss my bestie’s wedding for anything. Besides, I sat next to a super cute guy on the plane. I almost wish the flight from San Diego was at least an hour longer.”

My mom chuckled. “Not me. I couldn’t get off that plane any sooner. Your father was snoring so loud I was sure the pilot could hear him.”

I touched my mom’s shoulder and turned away to the window, having to work not to cry again. The very fact that my mom, dad, and Angie had flown from San Diego to Seattle to see me get married meant more to me than they’d ever know. Especially after the way I’d left town five years earlier without a care in the world about how it would affect them.

The view from our hotel suite boasted a clear shot of the famed Space Needle. I could see the colorful building at its base, the museum where Derek and I had our first date. I loved that we were getting married so close to it. Maybe we’d have time before our cruise tomorrow to go there and walk around. Thoughts of kissing my new husband in the place where it all began had me feeling misty-eyed once again. I downed the rest of my champagne and turned to face my mother and Angie.

“I’m a wreck,” I admitted with a forced laugh.

They smiled at me, but before they could respond, a knock sounded at the door.

“I’ll get it.” Angie said, flitting to the door. “It must be the second bottle of champagne I ordered.”

Angie flung the door open, revealing Derek. He wasn’t in his tux. He looked... haunted. My stomach dropped. I bit my tongue to keep from reminding him not to see the bride before the wedding. Judging by his appearance, that ship had sailed. I was aware of my mom and Angie excusing themselves from the room. I watched Derek step in and close the door. Everything felt like it was playing in slow motion, and the only sound I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat.

“Sara.” Derek said my name with a sigh, running his fingers through his tussled hair. He hadn’t shaved, so between that and the dark circles under his eyes, I barely recognized him. He paced the room in front of me, not looking my way as I stood frozen in place.

I opened my mouth to speak but couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to say. I clamped my jaw shut again.

Derek finally stopped pacing and turned to look at me. “You look... beautiful. You really do.”

“Thanks.” I managed. “You look... like crap.”

He had the nerve to chuckle, then cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. Can we sit? Let’s sit.”

“How about you just say what you came here to say?” I snapped. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to move without shaking, and I didn’t want him to see me upset. The only coherent thoughts in my jumbled brain were repeating, how dare he? over and over again.

Derek nodded. “Sara, I don’t really know how to say this. So... I’m just going to say it, okay? Do you remember Kate?”

My mind went blank. “Should I?”

“Well, I don’t know. You met her a few years ago. She’s my... ex. She was my ex,” he stammered.

“She... was your ex?”

He nodded, wringing his hands. “We reconnected. It wasn’t supposed to be anything. I made a mistake. And then...”

I stared at him, unmoving. He looked so guilty. So uncomfortable. Part of me wanted to tell him to shut up and get out. The pain coursing through my veins was reaching an unbearable level and I didn’t think I’d be able to hear more of the story. But a bigger, darker, side of me wanted him to squirm. I wanted him to be uncomfortable as he broke my heart into a million pieces. I wanted him to feel terrible having to explain it. Kicking him out now would be letting him off too easy.

When he didn’t speak, I tilted my head and raised a brow, as if to say, “go on.”

“And then we... I don’t know. We fell in love. I tried to break it off with her. Several times. But we just couldn’t stay away from each other. I needed to make a choice.”

I flinched and then instantly regretted it when a flash of pity crossed his face. He didn’t get to pity me. I straightened. “You couldn’t think of a better time to make your choice than our wedding day, Derek? Really?”

He hung his head. “I was up all night stressing over this, believe me. It was not an easy decision.”

I gaped at him. “Seriously?”

“Yes, Sara.” Derek stepped toward me, and then froze when I glared at him in warning. “Okay, I’m sorry. But, yes. It was the hardest decision of my life. I want you to know that.”

Instantly, the heat left my veins and was replaced with ice. This idiot thought it would help to hear that it was a tough decision? Was he insane? Who wanted to be the winner of a tough choice between two women? Not me, that was for sure. I lifted the hem of my beautiful white gown and stepped out of my heels, kicking them to the side. Without even looking at him, I turned to fasten the bustle, so the dress was the right length for flats, and slipped on my bedazzled sandals. I picked up the ornate clutch Angie had given me as my ‘something borrowed’ and tucked my wallet and keys into it.

“Sara?” Derek asked from behind me. “Are you leaving? Don’t you want to talk about this?”

I spun around. “Derek, you came to my bridal suite on our wedding day to tell me that you’ve been having an affair for who knows how long–”

“About a year...” 

A choked sound escaped my mouth at his revelation. I smoothed my hands down my dress and straightened my shoulders again. “A year. Fine. You decided to tell me this on my wedding day, and now you want to talk about it? You should have talked to me about it a year ago.”

“I know.” He ran his hands through his hair again. “I thought it was just a one-time mistake. I didn’t think it meant anything. Then I just kept making the same mistake over and over again. I felt terrible. I was just so stressed at work...”

I rolled my eyes.

“I’m serious, Sara. You know how hard I’ve been working. The pressure was suffocating me. She just showed up one day and we got to talking. I didn’t want to hurt you if It turned out to be nothing. I didn’t think it meant anything. Until... it did. It does. I want to be with Kate.”

My lip curled as I looked at the man I should have been marrying right about then. How had I not seen it? How had he been able to hide another woman from me for a freaking year? And what did that say about me? I had once found him to be so charming. Swoon-worthy, even. But now, he just looked like a poor, sad, cheating, piece of scum. And the tramp he was leaving me for wasn’t even an easy choice for him. He stayed up all night trying to decide. They deserved each other.

Another knock sounded at the door and I laughed hollowly. “Ah, the Champagne.”

Derek pursed his lips as if he were deciding whether or not to open it. I brushed passed him and opened the door, smiling brightly at the sweet older gentleman, fully aware that Derek had ducked into the bathroom and out of sight. The man nodded at me and smiled widely as he pushed a cart into the room. It held a bucket of ice with a bottle sticking out of it, three fresh glasses, and a single red rose in a crystal vase. He parked the cart in the room and turned to me.

“You look beautiful, madam.”

“Thank you,” I replied, handing him a bill from my clutch. “Have a great day.”

I kept up the facade until I closed the door on the man, then turned to face the doorway of the bathroom where Derek was leaning. He looked like a criminal. Guilty as sin.

“Thank you,” I said to him.

Derek frowned. “For what?”

“For not letting me marry you. Even though you have terrible timing, I’m glad we didn’t follow through with this day only to get divorced later.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, as if he were off the hook.

“That being said, if you don’t get out of here in the next two seconds, I’m going to grab that fresh bottle of champagne and smash you in the face with it.”

“Sara–”

“Now,” I said, meaning it.

Without another word, he sulked out of the room. When the door closed behind him, I collapsed onto the floor in a heap of tulle, lace, and crystal beads. So much for the flawless makeup.

❤️ Military Hero

❤️ Bookstore Romance

❤️ Neighbors to Lovers

❤️ Jilted Bride

❤️ Small-Town Vibes

San Diego Series:

📚 Forever with You - Vince & Sara

📚 Back to You - Spencer & Ellie

📚 Away from You - Matt & Olivia

📚 Christmas with You - Cooper & Angie

📚 Believing in You - Jake & Ivy

📚 Memories of You - Brooks & Cat

📚 Home with You - Owen & Rachel

📚 Adored by You - Noah & Paige

Related Standalone:

📚 Trusting in You - Eric & Lucy

Note: Chronologically, this one fits in between books 5 & 6 of the Kailua Marines series. These worlds all collide, so if you’d like to read them in chronological order, that’s how it goes! :)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Always a winner

"Jess Mastorakos has mastered the art of writing a realistic, believable love story that is incredibly romantic without being sappy. Forever with You's Sarah and Vince are characters one can believe in. She simply never disappoints her readers."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Book

"I absolutely love all of Jess Mastorakos Books. By the end of the book I always feel like I know the characters and that I am there imaging what is happening."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Living the dream?

"I liked everything about this novella - the writing, timing, storyline, dialogue and notably the engaging characters. Once I started, I couldn’t stop and read it in a single read. I immediately read the first book in the series and loved it even more. I think I may have a new favorite author!"